Mother- and father-infant attachment: Families in context

This study examined associations among family type (single-earner vs, dual- earner families of sons and daughters), parent sensitivity, marital adjustm ent, infant emotionality, infant-mother attachment, and infant-father attac hment. Participants included 77 families who were observed in the laborator y at 4, 12, and 13 months. Similar to several previous studies, results ind icated that boys from dual-earner families were more likely to have insecur e attachments with their fathers but not with their mothers. In addition, f athers of sons in dual-earner households were less sensitive at 4 months an d reported less affection in their marriages than did fathers in several ot her groups; sons were more negatively emotional toward mothers whereas infa nts in dual-earner families were more negatively emotional toward fathers d uring still-face at 4 months. Finally, family type moderated the effect tha t maternal sensitivity had on infant-mother attachment and the effect that infant negative emotionality had on infant-father attachment.